Container



Jan. 6, 1970 J. a, S WETT CONTAINER Original Filed July 27, 196'? iNVENTOR JAMES B. SWETT BY M ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,487,972 CONTAINER James B. Swett, Barrington, R.I., assignor to Dart Industries Inc., a corporation of Delaware Continuation of application Ser. No. 656,511, July 27, 1967. This application Dec. 27, 1968, Ser. No. 788,695 Int. Cl. 865d 1/24, 43/10 US. Cl. 220-20 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This application is a continuation of Ser. No. 656,511, filed July 27, 1967, and now abandoned.

This invention generally relates to containers of the type having tightly fitting closures.

Some of the containers that are commonly available have a flexible plastic bowl or box members and a resilient plastic cover. When the cover and the box are fitted together, a tight seal is maintained around the upper edge of the bowl or box member to form an air tight container. Such a seal is exemplified by that shown in the container seal art in US. Patent 2,487,400.

When seals of the foregoing type are used on either square or circular containers the closure will be self-centering upon the box member. However, the more aesthetically pleasing non-symmetrical containers having irregular cross-sections and symmetrical containers having noncircular or non-rectangular cross-sections do not assure self-centering. These containers normally present a problem when the closure is installed upon the box member inasmuch as it is quite easy to skew the closure about the periphery of the box member during the closuring process. When this occurs the box member may be warped and the container rendered incapable of its intended use due to the imperfect seal between the distorted box and the closure.

Known prior art containers of the type having dividers to section the box member into individual compartments have heretofore not had secondary sealing means in the container for maintaining particles in one section separate and incapable of intermingling with particles in another section, While at the same time permitting pressure equilibrium between the various sections. This is extremely important if sealing of the container is to be aided by inducing a partial vacuum in the container using the technique known as burping, which will be hereinafter described.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide containers of irregular or non-circular, non-rectangular cross-section with an indexing means, whereby the closure for the container can be installed without placing undue stress upon the box member of the container. A further object of this invention is the incorporation, in such a closure member and box member, of indexing means which also serve as divider means to provide individual compartments in the container. Yet another object is to provide a secondary means of sealing one compartment from another in a container wherein such secondary means are adapted to prevent solid particle migration be tween the various compartments formed therein, while at the same time permitting equalization of air pressure between the compartments.

The foregoing and other objects of the invention will be more fully understood with reference to the accompanying drawings which describe a specific embodiment of the invention and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a view in perspective showing the container of the invention with an upper flat portion of the closure thereof shown transparently for convenience of illustration;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the container with the top closure partially broken away for convenience of illustration;

FIGURE 3 is a side cross-sectional view of the container shown in FIGURES 1 and 2;

FIGURE 4 is an end cross-sectional view similar to FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of details of the outer peripheral seal between the box member and closure member of the container; and

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged detailed view showing details of the indexing and inner seal forming elements of the closure and box member.

Referring now to the drawings, container 10 is comprised of closure member 11 formed of resilient locally deformable material, such as low density polyethylene and box member 12 of a relatively stiffer flexible material, such as high density polyethylene. As best seen in FIG- URE 2, the container has a non-circular, non-rectangular configuration substantially in the shape of an oval. Box member 12 has a base portion 13, and upstanding sidewalls 14 terminating in curvilinear peripheral edge 15. Closure 11 has peripheral edge portion, shown generally at 16 that corresponds to the shape of the curvilinear peripheral edge of box member 12.

Extending upwardly from the base of box member 12 are dividers 18, which terminate in an upwardly projecting edge 19. This edge is adapted to fit in a recess in the cover, such as that shown generally at 20, in indexing relationship so that the closure 11 will be perfectly aligned with the box member 12. As illustrated, the recess is formed of a pair of parallel extending ridges 21, which are of shape and dimension to loosely interfit with projecting edge 19 of the divider. Thus, although an extremely tight fit is not obtained between the ridges 21 and divider 18, a satisfactory indexing relationship is obtainable since the cover must be aligned before the projecting edge 19 will fit between the parallel extending ridges 21.

The peripherally shaped edge portion 16 of closure 11 has an inner wall 22 connecting wall 23 and outer wall 24. These walls form a generally U-shaped rim which fits over upstanding outwardly flared peripheral flange 25 as best seen in FIGURE 5. With the construction shown and with the closure 11 formed of a locally deformable material such as polyethylene, the seal between the closure and the box member will be substantially air tight. Tab 26 provides, inter alia, an advantageous means of manipulating the cover member when it is disconnected from the box member.

An additional advantage is obtained utilizing the indexing configuration as pointed out above. In the configuration as shown, a secondary seal is formed between the divided portions of the box as defined by divider 18. This seal, although not limiting air ingress and egress between the portions of the box, is nevertheless effective in eliminationing particle migration. Thus, if the box is used as a lunchbox with a solid particulate food in the various compartments such as rice, the food could not migrate from one compartment to another.

This is particularly important in containers of the type shown which can be burped, or partially evacuated by simply pressing upon the flat portion of the closure while lifting a portion of the outer rim to exhaust air. When the flat portion of the closure tends to reassume its original shape, a partial vacuum is formed within the container aiding the tight seal between the box member and the closure member. The loosely interfitted relationship shown between the divider 19 and the closure member 11 permits air to pass between the portions of the box resulting in equilibrium conditions inside the box and providing a uniformly tight seal around the periphery of the closure, while at the same time eliminating the passage of solid matter between the various individual sections of the box. Thus, the container shown can be burped ing a single operation, and it is not necessary for the individual compartments to be evacuated separately.

I claim:

1. A container comprising:

(a) a box member of flexible material having a base portion and upstanding side walls that terminate in a non-circular curvilinear peripheral edge,

(b) a closure member of resilient material having a non-circular, curvilinear peripheral portion corresponding to said edge of said box member and adapted to engage said edge in a tight sealing relationship and means for aligning said box member with said closure member comprising a separate projection being formed as an upstanding divider on said base portion to form individual compartments with said upstanding walls in said box member and a separate recess formed on the closure member said recess being defined by a pair of substantially parallel and perpendicularly extending ridges separated by a distance greater than the thickness of said projection, said ridges being of shape and dimension to bound at least a portion of said projection and to extend lower than the upper edge of said projection when said closure member is installed on said box memher. 2. A container, according to claim 1 wherein said parallel ridges extend the length of said upstanding divider.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,641,912 6/1953 Lawler 220-23.8

2,731,996 1/1956 Hayes 150 .5

2,789,608 4/1957 Tupper 150 .5

3,079,028 2/ 1963 Rosner 22022 3,189,185 6/1965 Grasso 150-.5 X

FOREIGN PATENTS 1,315,114 6/1962 France.

JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 150-.5; 220 

